Chapter 2

Once Derek reached the nearest bus stop, which was at least a 30 minutes' walk from the Smith mansion, he took a seat to rest his legs.

Tears started flowing down his face. It was hard to blame him. In one day, Derek found himself jobless and homeless. Truly, at a young age of 25, Derek hit rock bottom and it was not his fault. A group of heartless people have held him down and treated him like trash. Like a loser.

Suddenly, a Rolls Royce pulled up at the bus stop, the rear doors stopping right in front of where Derek was seated.

The driver then opened his side door and stepped out of the Rolls Royce; he then opened the rear door facing Derek.

A familiar figure was seated at the rear seat, surprising Derek.

"Wait a minute. I recognise you." said Derek. "Aren't you the VIP I saw earlier today at the office?"

"Yes that is correct. You must be Derek Smith. I'm Owen Beck, General Manager of Quinton Consortium." the VIP introduced himself.

Still thinking about the incident earlier in the day, Derek was about to kneel to apologise to Owen; but before that could happen, Owen rushed out of the car and prevented Derek from kneeling.

"Please don't kneel to me. It should be the other way around. Me kneeling to you....Young Master!" Owen pleaded with a worried look on his face.

Young Master???

Those two words shocked Derek beyond belief. For a split second, his mouth was gaped open, lost for words.

It took two minutes for Derek to compose himself before asking Owen, "Are you mistaken? Who's your young master?"

Owen replied, "You are! Your real name is Derek Quinton. Peter and Lea Quinton, the owners of the Quinton Consortium, are your biological parents."

Who didn't know the Quinton couple? The mere mention of the Quinton name can send shivers of fear to even the most successful businessmen in Townsville. Even the Smith family were nothing compared to Peter and Lea Quinton.

"I'm Peter and Lea Quinton's son? How is this possible?"

Derek is still dazed from this shocking revelation.

Owen motioned Derek to the Rolls Royce. "Please follow me, Young Master. Master Quinton will explain everything to you in his residence."

Although reluctant, Derek decided to follow Owen. After all, what did he have to lose?

If everything turns out to be a misunderstanding, the worst case scenario for Derek was to spend the night at nearby motel.

But if what Owen said was proven true, then what was rock bottom for Derek could be the turning point his life so desperately needed.

"OK Owen. I'll follow you back; but I have two conditions. Number one, until everything you just said is proven true, do not call me Young Master. Just call me Derek."

"Number two, if this is a misunderstanding, Mr. and Mrs. Quinton can't press any charges or lawsuits against me for impersonation. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear, Youn...I mean Derek" replied Owen, realizing he almost broke the first condition.

"Alright then, let's go." said Derek.

With that, Derek entered the Rolls Royce and the driver proceeded to drive back to the Quinton Mansion.

On the way to the Quinton mansion, Owen noticed that Derek was just staring out of the window of the Rolls Royce. He was curious about what Derek was thinking.

"What's on your mind Derek?"

"I have a lot of questions and thoughts running through my mind. I don't even know where to start." replied Derek.

Owen understood his words and decided it was best to leave him be...until they reach the Quinton Mansion.

After an hour's drive, they finally reached the Quinton Mansion, located at the western outskirts of Townsville.

The Quinton Mansion itself is a marvel. Imagine a three-storey castle with rooms the size of a small apartment, complete with its own en-suites, a kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment that Michelin-star chefs can only dream of, along with facilities like a swimming pool, a football field, a basketball court, a pool room, an in-built mini cinema and a garage the size of a duplex house filled with cars that only the 1% of the world's population can afford.

"Master and Madam Quinton will see you in their room..." Owen guided Derek to the third floor, to the end of the east wing, where Peter Quinton's room was located.

"I'm sure Master and Madam Quinton will be overjoyed to see their long lost son." Owen said with a hint of joy.

Derek replied, "Hold on Owen, nothing is set in stone yet; but I guess we'll find out."

Finally, after taking two huge breaths, Derek opened the door and proceeded to enter Peter and Lea Quinton's room.

Once Derek entered the room, he could see a middle-aged man seated behind a study table, with a longing expression on his face. One look and Derek recognized him.....Peter Quinton.

Seated on the edge of the bed was his wife, Lea, supposedly Derek's mother.

Both Peter and Lea Quinton could not hold back their tears anymore. They rose from their positions and rushed over to embrace their long lost son.

"My son! We finally have you back in our arms!" exclaimed Peter.

"After all these years, you are finally back home! I've missed you so much!" cried Lea.

Initially, Derek wanted to back away from the quick embrace from the Quintons; but out of respect he decided to let them have this moment.

After a minute, Derek collected his thoughts.

"Mr. and Mrs. Quinton. I must ask you both. Do you have any proof that I am your biological son? I know this question may come as a shock to you; but I don't remember seeing your faces in my life."

Both Peter and Lead understood Derek's queries. They were not offended by his question. Peter diverted Derek's attention to a document placed on the center of the study table.

"This is your birth certificate Derek. There's one piece of detail written there that can answer your question. You were born with a unique birthmark on your right forearm. It's star-shaped, like the one on your arm now."

Lea continued, "If that is not enough to convince you, we have a doctor on standby to do a DNA test for you."

"Yes. I think that will be the right thing to do." Derek agreed.

It took two hours after the Quinton's family doctor did the necessary testing; but Dr Andrews returned to confirm the results....Derek was truly the heir of Peter and Lea Quinton.

Naturally, Peter and Lea were overjoyed. Their smiles were wide and tears of joy formed up; but Derek somehow was not as overjoyed as his newfound parents. There were still some connections needed to be made in his mind.

"Mr and Mrs Quin....I mean....Mum and Dad, I'm confused. If I am truly your biological son, how did I end up spending all my life in the Smith household?"

Lea replied, "It's a long story. We'll try summarizing it for you. Please have a seat."

After Derek took his seat on the spare chair on the other side of the study table, Peter Quinton began to explain to Derek what happened.